Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Long-bodied dog breeds have higher risk of hip dysplasia
By Roberts, Taryn & McGreevy, Paul D·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2010·Faculty of Veterinary Science (Room 206, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Selection for breed-specific long-bodied phenotypes is associated with increased expression of canine hip dysplasia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Hip dysplasia (HD) is a common skeletal issue in purebred dogs, particularly those with long bodies. This study found that breeds with a longer body-to-height ratio are more likely to suffer from hip dysplasia. The research suggests that dog show judges may be unintentionally encouraging these body shapes, which could lead to more dogs developing this painful condition. It highlights the need for a review of breed standards to ensure the health and welfare of these dogs.
People also search for: dog hip dysplasia symptoms · long-bodied dog breeds health issues · hip dysplasia in purebred dogs
Abstract
Hip dysplasia (HD) is the most common skeletal disease in purebred dogs. Radiographic schemes developed to reduce prevalence through selective breeding have had limited success, but the role of selecting for morphological characteristics prized in the show-ring and dictated by breed standards has not been fully explored. This study correlated published scores of hip pathology with measurements of body length to height ratio from photographs of Best-of-Breed specimens from 30 breeds (n=12/breed) to establish whether selection criteria could be compromising welfare by increasing susceptibility to HD. Relative body length correlated strongly with higher rates of HD by breed data from the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (Spearman r=0.727, P<0.001), the British Veterinary Association (r=0.701, P<0.001), and the Australian Veterinary Association (r=0.577, P<0.01). By favouring body shapes that are longer than they are tall, judges may be inadvertently selecting for conformational attributes predisposing dogs to HD, suggesting that ambiguity in breed standards and extreme relative body length phenotypes can engender serious welfare consequences and need to be re-evaluated.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19959383/